Greg Rutherford: 'Here comes London 2012 and everything goes right' | Sport | The Guardian Greg Rutherford Greg Rutherford: 'Here comes London 2012 and everything goes right' The long jump gold medallist overcame years of injury and torrid luck to win but has not enjoyed the same good fortune since Greg Rutherford, who won long jump gold for Team GB at the 2012 Olympics has struggled with injury in the year since his triumph. Photograph: Ian Tuttle/Rex Features Monday 22 July 2013 11.57 EDT First published on Monday 22 July 2013 11.57 EDT Share on Messenger Close There were three of them that unforgettable night. The trio of British athletes needed only 46 minutes in the Olympic Stadium to produce an emotive string of gold medal-winning achievements that will be linked forever in the collective memory of London 2012 as Super Saturday . Jessica Ennis withstood prolonged public expectation to seal victory in the heptathlon while Mo Farah's searing run won him the 10,000m.

They have both enjoyed sustained exposure over the past year – with their post-Olympic sponsorship worth, respectively, a reported £2.5m and £3m . Life has been different for Greg Rutherford. His gold medal in the long jump provided a surprising filler between the showcase celebrations for Team GB's amiable but glittering stars. Yet even his status as an Olympic champion has not helped Rutherford retain his sponsor or earned him any other lasting opportunities. In the wake of his apparently life-changing success he was dropped by Nike and stalked again by the misfortune that undermined him before London. "Over the years, I've had torrid luck with things going wrong," Rutherford says with a rueful smile. "And then here comes London 2012 and everything goes right. If I sit back and think about it, or watch any of the footage, I still get emotional. As it stands, it defines my life. It's the crowning glory and everyone associates me with it.

But my bad luck has been ridiculous at times." Before Rutherford documents his catalogue of injuries, which have already removed him from this weekend's Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium and now threaten his participation at next month's world championships in Moscow, he reflects philosophically on losing his sponsor. British Athletics may have won themselves a new supporter in Sainsbury's, who backed GB's Paralympic team at 2012, but the Olympic long jump champion has been reduced to scrabbling around for the semblance of a shoe deal. "It's an interesting one," Rutherford says of Nike's decision not to renew his contract. "I think the issue was that we had 29 gold medallists at London 2012 alone, without the Paralympics, and we're in an economic slump." Rutherford nods intently at a counter suggestion that the men's long jump is one of the Olympics' blue riband events: "You would think so." So it seems curious that a genial and eloquent champion should have been made to feel redundant. "It's business," Rutherford says, "so I'm trying not to take it personally.

We're trying to revisit it with Nike as a way of getting my shoes sorted. Ultimately, I jump in their shoes and my feet are used to them. It was a real shame but it's also been a catalyst for me. I'm doing it myself now." Rutherford is about to launch his own clothing brand, GRavity, which features an apple in its logo. "I thought I'd be clever and refer to Newton," he says with the grin of a man proud to call himself the Ginger Wizard. "As a jumper I try to defy gravity as long as I can. But no matter how far I jump I'll always hit the earth eventually. Ultimately the clothing company is a large investment on my part and I'm taking a huge gamble. But having a focus away from the track is good for you." It helps that Rutherford has a creative outlet to divert attention from familiar concerns about finances and injuries. After the Olympics he was still bombing around Milton Keynes, where he lives, in his old Ford Mondeo. "I was," he says, chortling. "But I went to an event with Range Rover and they said: 'We can supply you with a car.' I'm now driving a Range Rover Sport which is a dream.

I had that Ford Mondeo for five years. It was fine – but it's nice to have a few perks. There's lots of stress because a halfway decent car costs a lot. And if I'm not jumping well or I'm injured I'm not going to get any money. That's very tricky." Ennis and Farah are no longer tested by everyday matters and the contrast between their fortunes and Rutherford's is glaring. Yet he speaks sensibly when considering his fellow champions. "There's never any bitterness or annoyance towards those two because they achieved incredible things. They had both done so much before the Olympics that they were in the limelight already. Jess had to deal with 10 times worse pressure than me. Everyone had put the gold medal around her neck before it started and so she's incredible to have turned out an amazing performance which set the country on fire. "It's the same with Mo and it's great to see them doing so well. It keeps the hope that this could be me one day. I'm one of the best long jumpers in the world and you hope to earn a living from that. But I need to earn money from somewhere.

As much as Jess and Mo are here, there and everywhere the hope is that they can't attend something and I'll get the call. That would be nice." In the meantime Rutherford delights in remembering that extraordinary Saturday last year. "It was one of those fairytales where everything came together when I needed it most. People said: 'Oh, you came out of nowhere.' I'd say: 'Hang on – I've been jumping at this level for seven years and I've been a world top 10-ranked athlete most of my senior career.' It was hopefully going to happen at some point. I was just lucky it came together in London." Rutherford had won silver medals at the 2006 European Championships and the 2010 Commonwealth Games . But his apparent luck in winning London 2012 with a leap of 8.31m is tied to the fact that the last Olympic final won by a shorter jump occurred 40 years ago. In the intervening nine Games since all the men's long jump champions recorded distances exceeding Rutherford's. Yet his first and last attempts did not count in London.

"As soon as I started moving down the runway for my first jump the crowd got louder and louder in anticipation of the take-off. They were in a frenzy because of Jess. I remember thinking: 'Wow, that's loud!' and before I knew it I was at the board and I ran through. I had to draw on my experience and refocus. The second round I jumped 8.21 and was in the gold medal position. I then had three decent jumps and on the last one I'd already been announced as Olympic champion. I probably shouldn't even have attempted that one because I was on the verge of tears. I was looking for my parents and then I heard Dad's voice. I ended up jumping into the crowd. I get emotional even now talking about it." Rutherford's emotions are justified – especially when set against the ravaging injuries that almost ruined his career. "I've had 30 hamstring tears," he says. "Before I joined Dan Pfaff [Rutherford's most recent coach until they stopped working together earlier this month] I was averaging five a year because my jumping technique was terrible. Since Dan changed my technique I've had one bad tear – in January 2012, which I kept quiet.

But you always go through injury when you push your body at the highest level. "Tonsillitis was also a chronic issue until 2009 as I was getting ill every six weeks. On the morning of the 2008 Olympic final I woke up with severe tonsillitis and had to compete through that. The next day I was taken to a Beijing hospital in an ambulance. It turned out I had lung and kidney infections with tonsillitis. I don't do things by half measure – and that's why London meant so much." Rutherford still has a dazed smile as he reveals, unsurprisingly, that he did not get any sleep once he reached the village around 1.30am after finally checking out of doping control on Super Saturday. "I lay in bed for three and a half hours – staring at the ceiling. I was worried that if I went to sleep I'd wake up and discover it had all been a dream. I'd won Diamond League events but nothing could match that moment. It was absolutely out of this world. "At about 5.30am I got up, got dressed and walked around on my own.

It was quite peaceful but at the same time it was funny because people who had finished their Olympics were rolling in, half-cut or even worse for wear. I went to the dinner hall but didn't eat much. Ultimately the gold medal was the one thing I'd wanted my whole life and I'd got it. As much as I went into that final wanting to win, in the back of my mind I thought something was bound to go wrong. It always does for me. So when it went right it was hard to absorb." It's more in keeping with Rutherford's perennial struggles that his place in the GB world championships team has still to be confirmed . His latest injury, again to a hamstring, means that the selectors have asked him to prove his fitness before he joins the newly married Ennis-Hill, Farah and the rest of the squad. "The last few weeks things haven't been going massively well for me," he admits. "I had a pesky knee injury where there was fluid around a couple of tendons. I'm also still recovering from the hamstring injury I picked up at the Diamond League meeting in Paris." The fluid around his knee has now dispersed but the old hamstring concerns are more worrying.

He has taken the prudent decision in withdrawing from the Anniversary Games. "It'll be tough to see my competitors out there, but I'm working as hard as I can to be ready for the world championships in Moscow. All being well, we'll get it sorted." Despite his occasional hobbling and financial wobbles, Rutherford believes he can perform at this level for many more years. He may be a qualified barista, with the ambition of opening a chain of coffee shops, but Rutherford retains the competitive zeal of a champion. "I'll be 29 in 2016. Many great long jumpers have been well into their 30s. Look at Dwight Phillips – he won the last of his multiple world championships in Daegu in 2011 when he was almost 34 and returning from injury. He had the same scenario as me when, despite being Olympic champion [in 2004], he was dropped by all his sponsors and he still did fantastically well. I aspire to do something like that. "I'll only be 33 in 2020 so if I'm still jumping well and I've got the same passion there's no reason to retire.

I'd never want to retire on a low. I want to go out with a bang. Only if the Rio Olympics and London 2017 [at the world championships] go incredibly well would I consider retiring because I have a different hunger now. It's no longer a case of proving everyone wrong after they all used to write me off. It's still not easy but I want to prove that my Olympic win wasn't a one-off. I don't want it to be the defining moment of my life forever. I want to achieve a lot more before it finally ends." The Sainsbury's Anniversary Games takes place in The Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from 26-28 July Greg Rutherford wins Olympic long jump gold for Great Britain - BBC Sport BBC Sport Greg Rutherford wins Olympic long jump gold for Great Britain 4 Aug 2012 Read more about sharing. Media playback is not supported on this device Greg Rutherford becomes the first British man to claim long jump gold since Lynn 'the leap' Davies in 1964 Greg Rutherford secured Great Britain's 13th gold medal of the London 2012 Olympics by winning the long jump.

Rutherford's fourth-round leap of 8.31m was enough to take victory on a glorious night for Team GB. Analysis "It is immense. He is so talented but he hasn't had that bit of luck to get onto the podium in a major championship before. This time he has had that little bit and now he is the Olympic champion. Greg Rutherford, take a bow." He finished ahead of Australia's Mitchell Watt, who recorded 8.16m to take silver. Will Claye of the United States won bronze with a jump of 8.12m while Britain's Chris Tomlinson finished sixth with a best of 8.07m. Tomlinson led after the first round, posting a jump of 8.06m, but it did not take long for Rutherford to hit form, with the Brit leaping 8.21m to take a second-round lead as the atmosphere intensified inside the Olympic Stadium. The 25-year-old's third round was a more modest 8.14m while Tomlinson too could not better his initial jump, with the rest of the field also struggling to make a significant impression on the leaderboard.

Both Claye and Sweden's Michel Torneus were his nearest rivals with the pair locked at 8.07m, fully 14cm behind the Brit at the halfway stage. Torneus reduced that gap with a jump of 8.11m before Rutherford extended his lead with 8.31m with two jumps left. Media playback is not supported on this device Gold leap amazes GB's Greg Rutherford Watt then posted his best jump of the competition, but neither he nor Claye could surpass Rutherford, who held on to win Britain's fifth gold medal of the day, with Mo Farah later making it six in the 10,000m. It was the first time since 1964 that GB had won the long jump, Lynn Davies taking victory in Tokyo. "I knew I was in great shape," Rutherford told BBC Sport. "My team are incredible and I have the most amazing parents and beautiful girlfriend in the world. I've got a pretty good life, I cannot lie. Everybody has worked so hard for me. "I thought I was going to jump further than that, but I don't care, I'm Olympic champion. What a night for British athletics - three gold medals.

I can't thank everyone enough. "This is what I have dreamed of my whole life and to do it in London is just incredible, I might wake up in a minute." Final Results Greg Rutherford wins gold for GB and Jess Ennis starts her heptathlon - YouTube Greg Rutherford wins gold for GB and Jess Ennis starts her heptathlon Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Aug 5, 2012 Greg Rutherford and Jess Ennis at the olympic stadium. Amazing night and congratulations to both athletes. VLOG of all events will be up on the channel soon. Enjoy When autoplay is enabled, a suggested video will automatically play next. Up next Jessica Ennis Wins Heptathlon Gold - London 2012 Olympics - Duration: 28:56. Olympic 912,586 views 28:56 Greg Rutherford Win's Long Jump Gold - London 2012 Olympics - Duration: 3:12.

Olympic 489,645 views 3:12 Greg Rutherford - His Moment Of Glory | Olympic Rewind - Duration: 6:00. Olympic 15,152 views 6:00 Jessica Ennis Wins Gold In The Heptathlon For Team GB - London 2012 - Event Review - Duration: 3:02. MrDJZedge 19,936 views 3:02 greatest night in GB athletics - 3 gold medals - Greg Rutherford, Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah - Duration: 14:59. gorgeoux 23,056 views 14:59 Greg Rutherford - Athletics - News, Olympic Results and History Born Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire BIOGRAPHY Greg Rutherford had trials with Aston Villa FC before focusing on athletics, winning his first national long jump title in 2005. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Greg won gold and since then has gone on to establish himself as one of team GB’s all-time greats.

He won Commonwealth and European gold in 2014 and backed that up by claiming his first ever world title in Beijing in 2015 for the clean sweep of long-jump titles. Greg Rutherford, GB Olympic champion, in the career doldrums a year on from London 2012 - Mirror Online Flying the flag: Rutherford's Olympic glory seems a long time ago Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email He’s the odd one out, the star of London 2012’s Golden Hour who hit the jackpot but missed out on the payout. Greg Rutherford became Olympic long jump champion on that astonishing Super Saturday , moments after Jessica Ennis-Hill won the heptathlon - and just before Mo Farah claimed 10,000 glory. But while Ennis-Hill and Farah have cashed in on their triumphs and become millionaires, Rutherford arrives at the World Championships unsure of his future in the sport. The year since Super Saturday at the Olympic Stadium has not been kind to the self-styled Ginger Wizard. He has lost his sponsor, his coach and his aura.

He is not exactly cash-strapped but neither, he insists, is he living in the lap of luxury. “The major problem is the economic climate,” said Rutherford, who is ranked only 14th for a Moscow competition offering a £40,000 first prize. “It shows how well the Olympics went for Team GB. We had 29 gold medals and there is only going to be a certain amount of things to go around. “It just seems that this year I’ve not received any of the financial aids possibly others have. I’ve not received any major sponsorship deals or anything else.” He has been leased a nice car to drive and given a flash watch to wear but, as he puts it, that “doesn’t put food on the table”. So Britain’s first Olympic long jump gold medallist for 48 years has cut into his training time to pursue earning opportunities elsewhere. He has done a stint as a talk-show host and is in the process of trying to launch his own clothing range.

Rutherford said: “Being in a scenario where you’re thinking, ‘I can’t do what I want to do due to the financial burden that comes with some of it’, makes you think, ‘Well, I could go and do an after-dinner speech every night’. “I’d probably earn more than I could in track-and-field. But that’s a dangerous scenario to get yourself into. “Ultimately, I love the sport, I love doing what I do. There are not many people around the world who can say, ‘I get paid to jump into a sandpit’. “But some of the financial aids you can get from being outside of the sport is something I will think about in years to come.” Asked if that means turning his back on athletics, Rutherford said he “very much doubted” it would come to that. But he then conceded: “If the next couple of years don’t go too well, then you might have to ask me the same question and I might be hanging up the spikes.” The 26-year-old has vowed to come out fighting here and has actually been boxing training ahead of next Tuesday’s qualifying round. “It’s for more for movement skills and tapping into the understanding of how my upper body moves,” he said.

“If I can find something that helps with that, I think it could be golden.’ That may be wishful thinking. Already this year four men have bettered his 8.31m-Olympic winning leap. But Rutherford insists he is ready to draw a line under 12 months in which he has suffered a double hernia, damaged knee ligaments and a torn hamstring and seen coach Dan Pfaff relocate to America. “Last year I got it very, very right and this year hasn’t worked out,” he said. “But I am a big game performer, I enjoy these big occasions. That gives me confidence.” Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent Most Read Most Recent GB's greatest Olympic night decorated by golds for Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford - Telegraph Athletics GB's greatest Olympic night decorated by golds for Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford British sport could just stop the clock and take up permanent residence in August 4, 2012.

It could refuse to leave the day when Jessica Ennis won the heptathlon with a rousing home-straight surge, Greg Rutherford took the long-jump gold and Mo Farah treated an already delirious crowd to the country’s first Olympic 10,000-metre victory in a hundred years of trying.

Image 1 of 4 Great Britons: Jessica Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah redefined the term 'Super Saturday' on a night of glory for Team GB Photo: PA/GETTY IMAGES Image 1 of 4 Gold No 1: Jessica Ennis stormed away in the 800m to wrap up the most convincing of victories Photo: EPA Image 1 of 4 Gold No 2: Greg Rutherford won the long jump by a margin of 15 centimetres Photo: ACTION IMAGES Image 1 of 4 Gold No 3: Mo Farah will attempt to follow up his 10,000m success with gold in the 5,000m Photo: GETTY IMAGES Ennis, Farah, Rutherford light up London 2012 Olympics for GB - BBC Sport BBC Sport Ennis, Farah, Rutherford light up London 2012 Olympics for GB 4 Aug 2012 Media playback is not supported on this device Watch the moment Ennis secures a memorable heptathlon gold Great Britain enjoyed their most successful day at an Olympics in 104 years by winning six gold medals on day eight of the London Games.

I am so shocked I can't believe it. I'm going to savour the moment. Jessica Ennis Jessica Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah capped a historic day - the best ever for GB athletics - by winning the heptathlon, long jump and 10,000m in front of 80,000 jubilant spectators at the Olympic Stadium. The rowers had started the celebrations with gold in the men's four and the women's lightweight double sculls before the women's team pursuiters added track cycling gold in the London Velodrome. Saturday's series of successes keep the host nation third in the medals table with 14 golds, behind the United States and China. Britain has now won 29 medals overall, having also taken seven silvers and eight bronzes at these Games. Ennis had dominated the heptathlon from the start, leading her rivals after the four events on day one. Media playback is not supported on this device Farah powers to Olympic gold She then effectively clinched gold with strong performances in the long jump and javelin on day two, before rounding off victory in the 800m.

Her time of two minutes 8.65 seconds meant she smashed her own British record for the heptathlon, finishing the seven-event competition with 6,955 points, 49 more than she scored in a the Hypo meeting Austria in May. "I am so shocked I can't believe it," said Ennis. "I'm going to savour the moment. I've had great support, although I've been under a huge amount of pressure." It's never going to get any better than this. It's the best moment of my life. Mo Farah Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "Awe inspiring win for Jessica Ennis. Proud to be cheering her on with the home crowd. Atmosphere electric on #SuperSaturday." Germany's Lilli Schwarzkopt took the silver, with Russian world champion Tatyana Chernova in bronze. Rutherford took gold in the long jump with a fourth-round leap of 8.31m, equalling the feat of Lynn Davies in 1964. Davies had been the only British man to have won an Olympic medal in the event, taking gold in Tokyo. "What a night for British athletics," Rutherford told BBC Sport. "Three gold medals.

It's absolutely incredible." Farah followed Rutherford's success by controlling the 10,000m from start to finish. "I just can't believe it," said Farah, who could also go for 5,000m gold. "The crowd got behind me so much and it was getting louder and louder. Andy Hunt, chef de mission of the British team "What unfolded over the course of a single day has been years in the making. It is a day unlike any that has been seen in the modern history of British Olympic sport and it is a day our country will never forget. "Most importantly, it is a day for the athletes - the Olympic champions - and the millions of supporters who have lifted them on their shoulders and helped make this possible." "I've not experienced anything like this. It's never going to get any better than this. It's the best moment of my life." The wins for Ennis, Rutherford and Farah created history for Britain. Never before had they won three gold medals in a single athletics session at at Olympics.

Britain's first gold of the day came at Eton Dorney as the of Andy Triggs Hodge, Pete Reed, Andy Gregory and Tom James led from the start to triumph. Just 20 minutes later, the team of Sophie Hosking and Katherine Copeland did the same, before the men's lightweight double sculls duo of Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter following a restart after their seat broke. I can't believe it. It's been my dream since I was eight. Laura Trott Britain have won a total of four rowing golds, with two silvers and three bronzes, to set a new record for an Olympic regatta. Copeland said: "I can't believe this is real. We've just won the Olympics. I've been trying all week not to think about it because it has been making me cry." Hosking added: "It's something we have been working on for so long." On the men's four victory, Triggs Hodge said: "It was our masterpiece. Four years we have worked on that." Laura Trott, Dani King and Jo Rowsell crushed the United States to win the team pursuit.

They claimed victory in a time of 3:14.051 to set their sixth successive world record. Media playback is not supported on this device Great Britain's golden Saturday "It's mad," said Trott. "I can't believe it. It's been my dream since I was eight. We've gone and done it. I don't think we expected it." Rowsell added: "I could tell we'd done it by the cheer of the crowd." In the tennis, Andy Murray guaranteed himself another silver medal by reaching the mixed doubles final with playing partner Laura Robson. The Scot is already through to Sunday men's singles final, where he will play Roger Federer. They beat Germany's Christopher Kas and Sabine Lisicki in the last match on Court One at Wimbledon. Back on the athletics track, defending champion winning his heat in 10.09 seconds. American Ryan Bailey qualified fastest in 9.88, with world champion Yohan Blake running 10.00. British hope Adam Gemili, who was playing non-league football as recently as January, also qualified in 10.11, behind Jamaica's Asafa Powell, who ran 10.04.

Briton Dwain Chambers is through in 10.02. Greg Rutherford wins Gold Medal in Men's Long Jump London Olympics 2012 Day 9 - YouTube Greg Rutherford wins Gold Medal in Men's Long Jump London Olympics 2012 Day 9 Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Aug 5, 2012 Greg Rutherford wins Gold Medal in Men's Long Jump for Team GB on Day 9 of London Olympics 2012 for the first time for United Kingdom since 1964. Music is uplifting allegro classical music and theme Beethoven's Egmont Overture Finale.

BT Tower, Central London 4 August 2012 Music: Egmont Overture Finale by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) ISRC: US-UAN-12-00070 Video: Greg Rutherford flies Union flag after winning World Championship long jump gold - Telegraph Athletics Greg Rutherford flies Union flag after winning World Championship long jump gold Olympic champion becomes first Briton to win a world title in the event with masterful performance in Beijing By Oliver Brown , Chief Sports Feature Writer, Beijing, video source APTN 2:43PM BST 25 Aug 2015 Follow It was once Greg Rutherford’s misfortune to be belittled as “the ginger one from Super Saturday”. No longer, not after this. As he produced the second greatest leap of his life to win world championship gold here at the Bird’s Nest, this maverick of a long jumper, the forgotten man of Britain’s finest Olympic hour, became only the country’s fifth athlete to win the full set of global titles and proved beyond the slightest doubt his pedigree on the major stage.

Interactive: Athletics medal table Emphatically laying to rest his bitter memories of Beijing, where he did not even reach the last eight of the Olympic final in 2008, Rutherford contrived a stunning fourth-round jump of 8.41 metres to win this competition at a canter. He was helped by his chief rival Jeff Henderson, the American who had reached 8.50m twice already this season, being bundled out at halfway, but otherwise this was a performance worthy of cementing a grand slam. Greg Rutherford has made history for Great Britain Only Daley Thompson, Linford Christie, Sally Gunnell and Jonathan Edwards had achieved the quadrilateral of Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth golds for Britain, but Rutherford spectacularly joined their number to demonstrate definitively that his shock triumph at London 2012 was no aberration. Aptly, he celebrated with a certain swagger. First he pointedly gestured towards the Union flag, emblazoned on a waistcoat thrown to him from the crowd. He had denounced British Athletics for their “ridiculous” decision not to include the flag on the official kit for Beijing and claimed he had been ostracised for speaking out .

Then he was informed of a comment by sprint legend Michael Johnson, who had criticised him before the final for being too mouthy, that he should try “more jumping, less talking”. “Well, Michael,” he replied, with a sigh. “How do you like me now?” He deserved his chance to milk the moment. For Rutherford judged this display to perfection, measuring the run-up for his decisive jump so precisely that he planted his lead leg a mere centimetre behind the plasticine at take-off. It was a wonderful advert for his quirky practice of training in a sandpit that his father, Andy, built in his back garden. It also showed an extraordinary degree of comfort at moments of maximum pressure, making a mockery of those suggestions that his distance of 8.31m in 2012 should not have been good enough to take Olympic gold. As he put it, in comments laced with conscious irony: “I’m very much hoping 8.41 is acceptable to people. A stadium record in an Olympic stadium? I don’t think that’s too bad. I’ll take that.

Maybe I am not too bad a long-jumper.” Rutherford was delighted to have proven Michael Johnson wrong He offers a refreshing antidote, Rutherford, a blast of fearless plain-speaking in an often sanitised environment. He did not shoot to prominence in the traditional fashion, becoming garlanded with junior trophies, but instead ploughed a quiet furrow with his family’s help. That background has shaped him into a curious outcast of a character, one not afraid of engaging his mouth before his better diplomatic instincts. He has even converted his girlfriend, Susie Verrill, to his us-against-the-world way of thinking, as she responded to Johnson’s provocation via Instagram with a mocking yawn. Rutherford has disclosed that there are British Athletics officials who are refusing to speak to him over his stance on the kit issue. Perhaps they might care to give him the time of day this morning, after Rutherford joined the gang of five to have swept the board for Britain at global level. “Welcome to the club,” wrote Sally Gunnell on Twitter, and one could tell this accolade meant more to its recipient than most. Greg Rutherford now has all four major titles on his CV “That’s lovely to hear,” he said.

“The flak I took after the Olympics was tough. At times you think, ‘Why am I doing this?’ So, this is incredibly special.” The emotion as he considered the reaction of his son Milo, his 10-month-old son, was only thinly concealed. “I hope he will have been looking at the TV all excited. Apparently, while I have been away, he has taken his first couple of steps and I’ve missed it. When I hear him in the background on the phone, that just pumps me up. I’ve got somebody to make proud now.” Rutherford has had enough trouble making himself proud. The very fact he was being compared to such feted Olympians as Thompson and Edwards was, he acknowledged, a touch bewildering. “These names are some of the greatest in British sporting history,” he said. “I grew up watching these guys.” Greg the GRAND SLAM Rutherford!!!! World/Olympic/European and Commonwealth Champion. The biggest FRAUD of them all!!! — Jeanette Kwakye (@JNETTEKWAKYE) August 25, 2015 GRAND SLAM! GRAND SLAM! GRAND SLAM! GRAND SLAM!

#Beijing2015 @GregJRutherford completes the set. WORLD CHAMPION pic.twitter.com/rz7iI7cnPU — British Athletics (@BritAthletics) August 25, 2015 @GregJRutherford welcome to the club#all4 — Linford Christie (@ChristieLinford) August 25, 2015 Just watching the LJ from Italy...awesome jumping from @GregJRutherford great championship performer — Chris Tomlinson (@LongJumpChris) August 25, 2015 If he needs any reminders about the reality of his feats, Rutherford can reflect that these championships are fast acquiring an uncanny symmetry with the Saturday night in London that has been, in the three years since, both his blessing and his curse. Mo Farah winning the 10,000 metres again, we could easily believe. Jessica Ennis-Hill taking gold 13 months after childbirth? We could toast that as, to use Sebastian Coe’s words, the “sporting comeback of the decade”. As for Rutherford replicating his London triumph?

It felt like a delightfully quirky bonus, as if the memories of Super Saturday were being poured out again over four days in China. “’Greg Rutherford has to win’, that was one of the last messages I saw,” he said. “I take my hat off to Jess and Mo for both becoming world champions again. Then the ginger one does it, too. I’m pretty happy with that, because I think if I hadn’t managed it, I would have been in a bit of trouble.” There used be a time when Rutherford was incapable of satisfying his detractors. After he produced his personal best of 8.51m in California last year, British team-mate Chris Tomlinson used video replays to try to suggest that the jump was invalid. How quickly such petty enmities dissolve. Last night, confronted by incontrovertible evidence of Rutherford’s calibre, Tomlinson was one of the first in line to congratulate him. As well as he might, for Rutherford was on peerless form in Beijing.

Surging clear of his nearest challengers by recording 8.29m in the second round, he purged any lingering anxiety with his brilliant effort two rounds later, which turned out to be sufficient to beat Australia’s Fabrice Lapierre by 17 centimetres. China’s Wang Jianan, one of a trio from the host nation in the last eight, took bronze. “It’s unbelievable,” said Rutherford, his lower lip beginning to tremble. “I am lost for words.” But he was not too tongue-tied to scream one last “C’mon!” at trackside, at a volume more than loud enough for his enemies at British Athletics to hear. All hail golden Greg, a ginger ninja reborn.

Greg Rutherford: ‘UK Athletics is more of a hindrance than a help’ | Sport | The Guardian Greg Rutherford Greg Rutherford: ‘UK Athletics is more of a hindrance than a help’ Britain’s Olympic long jump champion hits out at lack of support from UKA and calls on the IAAF to do more to tackle the doping crisis on the eve of the athletics world championships in Beijing Greg Rutherford in the long jump pit he has had installed to competition specifications in the back garden of his home in Woburn Sands. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian Monday 17 August 2015 12.04 EDT Last modified on Thursday 25 August 2016 14.36 EDT Share on Messenger Close There are times in the surreal world of interviewing when you really have to strain to get some reluctant sporting character to say anything even vaguely interesting or unexpected. Greg Rutherford , with his open attitude and willingness to talk, is very different. Greg Rutherford stands by his criticism of new Great Britain team kit Read more A grey morning in Woburn Sands, on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, flashes by in a blur of verbal fireworks and vaulting ambition.

Rutherford, the Olympic long jump champion , hopes to add a world title next week to the Commonwealth and European gold medals he won last summer. But first, following the searing criticism he directed at UK Athletics for its “ridiculous and wrong” decision to omit the union flag from the vests to be worn by British athletes , the 28-year-old talks far more personally and bitingly. Ridiculed on social media as being “lucky” to have won at London 2012, Rutherford refuses to allow the taunting to undermine his collection of significant victories. He is rarely short of a quip on Twitter. Asked by a troll how long he planned to “live off” his Olympic success, and if he would ever do anything of consequence again, Rutherford suggested he might become a porn star or dabble in pottery instead. After his Commonwealth and European double last summer he tweeted, more darkly, that he must be “the biggest fluke ever”. “It was a swipe,” Rutherford admits. “I seem to be the ‘luckiest’ athlete around – and that’s one of the most frustrating things. You compete against a vast array of people and train your whole life for those moments.

When it finally clicked in London it was after seven years as a pro. Yes, the distance wasn’t so exciting [his winning jump of 8.31m was the shortest victory leap in an Olympic final since 1972] but the previous one had been won in 8.34. “I wasn’t jumping like Carl Lewis but I still won an Olympic title. Everyone said it was a fluke, a one-off. 2013 was a bad year but in 2014 I won two major competitions in 17 days . People still say: ‘Oh yeah, but he only did this …’ It’s annoying – especially when people with influence and power say it. I’ve had it my entire life. Even before I really started no one said I would make it. But I always had belief.” Pinterest Greg Rutherford is currently ranked world No1 and has won three of this season’s Diamond League long jump events, including last month’s event in Stockholm. Photograph: Tt News Agency/Reuters Having won three of the six Diamond League competitions this season, Rutherford has retained his knack of conjuring up victory.

He nods enthusiastically when asked if he imagines becoming a double Olympic champion in Rio next year. “I take my three dogs for long walks every day and I use that time to talk myself through winning every major competition,” he says. “I set myself distances I want to reach. I basically commentate and rehearse winning. I’ve never finished second in my head, ever.” This is a man who has just built his own long jump pit in his back garden – and had it ratified as being of competition-standard. “I love major competitions,” Rutherford exclaims. “Before London I said as long as I’m fit and healthy I have a great chance of winning the Olympics. I went in as world No1. Same as last year. As long as next week is the same I have a good chance of winning the worlds in Beijing.” Should he succeed, Rutherford would join a select group of British athletes as only Daley Thompson, Sally Gunnell, Jonathan Edwards and Linford Christie have held the Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth titles at the same time. Surely winning three of these four titles has blunted the carping? “It’s lessening. People say never search your name on Twitter because you’ll see horrible things.

But I do and I see people who don’t like me. But interestingly some now say, ‘Oh, Greg won again … he wins a lot now.’ That’s a change. “But a lot of people still say: ‘What do you do between Olympics? Do you get a job?’ Seriously. That shows the sport is lacking massively.” Rutherford is scathing towards the IAAF and UK Athletics , and their failure to bring the sport back into the mainstream, and he is angered by the limited support he has received from his federation. “I’ve not been funded since 2012. Medical support has been offered but even that has lessened this year. I have a [10-month-old] son now. I need to think about paying the mortgage. Medical support was readily available after the Olympics but even that’s diminished greatly. It’s very frustrating and I get very angry.” Unlike Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis-Hill, who have made lots of money, Rutherford has been tested financially since the heady Saturday night in 2012 when the three of them won Olympic gold.

He was still bombing around Milton Keynes in his old Ford Mondeo for a full year after becoming Olympic champion and it wounds him to have lost so much support from UKA. “You are means-tested out of your funding. If they deem you are earning money outside, then you don’t get funding. The issue I have – and this is more UK Sport than UKA – is that funding is your salary. If you have a mortgage, you know you’re covered. It takes away the stress. Pinterest Greg Rutherford won gold at London 2012 but was accused on social media of fluking his way to the Olympic title. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian “It’s like saying: ‘When you do very well you are not allowed to earn too much money. So we’ll remove a certain section.’ That puts you in a position where, in the months that you’re not competing, you have to be creative as to how you earn money. It’s not like I’m poor but I feel annoyed about the way the medical support has been cut away too. I have been paying for my own medical treatment the last 18 months. It’s very frustrating when you ask somebody at your national governing body to help and they say no.

“They will say we have a medical outlet in Loughborough – but a three-hour round trip for me means any medical work will be undone by the time I drive home. It doesn’t make sense. I know other athletes have access to home treatment – they are covered by UKA. I find that very annoying. It’s as if your national governing body is more of a hindrance than a help.” It is a strong statement from an Olympic champion towards his own federation. “Absolutely. But the worst thing is that after I jumped really well in Stockholm, a couple of weeks ago, an email comes through [from UKA], saying: ‘Does Greg need anything?’ You want to turn around and say: ‘Come on. You’re three weeks away from a world championship. I’ve had nothing offered all year. Now it looks like I am a medal chance you want to help me?’ I politely refused. I don’t think that’s right. It’s a problem that needs to be addressed.” As the world No1, Rutherford considers the merits of his rivals. “The worlds are exceptionally hard and there are some really good jumpers out there.

Mike Hartfield [second behind Rutherford in the Diamond League standings] is one while Marquis Dendy and I have traded blows this summer. He got me in London, I got him in Stockholm. The main guy to watch is Jeff Henderson. He’s jumping really well in America with an 8.52 and an 8.50 [Rutherford’s personal best is 8.51m]. But [Aleksandr] Menkov the defending champion [from Russia] and Jinzhi Li, the Chinese athlete, could also have had really good training blocks.” Rutherford, understandably, wants to concentrate on the world championships but he is too honest not to address the doping crisis in athletics. “The IAAF needs to do a lot more on the issue. I also feel that countries which have systematically doped need to be confronted. Craig Reedie, the president of Wada [the World Anti-Doping Agency] came out the other day and said there would never be sanctions against countries which systematically dope . You think: ‘You’re saying it doesn’t matter that they breed a nation that dopes?’ Sadly that has happened in Russia because the amount of people who had failed [drugs tests] is staggering. I’m sorry.

You can’t turn around and say that was just the athlete. There has to be something more sinister going on there. To then turn round and say you can’t do anything? That’s just turning a blind eye.”Is the long jump “cleaner” than most disciplines in track and field? “I like to believe it is clean now. You have to be careful not to say people have cheated in the past. It would be wrong to say that just because they jumped further than me. But over time you see clusters of people jumping exceptionally and then things drop off. I’ve had the pleasure of jumping against Ivan Pedroso, Dwight Phillips and Irving Saladino – they were phenomenal jumpers who still did not produce anywhere near the distance of others in the past. The long jump is not where it once was and I don’t believe that’s because of a dip in talent or training methods.” At the same time Rutherford believes some clean athletes are now being branded as cheats – just like Chris Froome’s Tour de France victory was tainted . He believes the reaction to Farah, following doping allegations against his coach Alberto Salazar , has been “disgusting”. “It’s wrong,” he says. “Mo kills himself and trains so hard.

Look at people throwing wee and spitting on Froome because a doctor went on French TV and said what he does is not humanly possible. When it’s [Alberto] Contador nothing happens. Contador goes down with clenbuterol and says it’s contaminated meat. People say: ‘Oh, it’s Contador so it’s OK,’ but if it’s a Brit winning? He’s spat on and has wee thrown at him.” Rutherford is also concerned about the governance of the sport. “There are problems in the IAAF – not just with doping but the way they run athletics. [IAAF officials] are quite happy to sit in Monaco on a huge pot of money but when it comes to investing in the sport it’s not happening. If they pumped some of it back into athletics we’d have a sport people want to watch. We don’t have that. They quite happily travel around in first class and stay in expensive hotels. The IAAF earns a lot of money. Where is it going?” The IAAF did not reply on Monday when asked by the Guardian if it wished to respond to Rutherford’s comments. In a more romantic vein, Rutherford is still intrigued by competing in the skeleton bob at a future winter Olympics.

He tells an amusing story of how exhilarated, if stunned, he was by completing three skeleton runs at Lillehammer. But his current obsession is to win the world championships in Beijing and in London in 2017 – while becoming a double Olympic long jump champion in Rio. “It’s not dead,” he says of the skeleton dream, “but athletics has changed again for me. I’d fallen out of love with it after all the criticism I took in 2012-13. But last year was great and I’ve got so much to achieve. I want the long jump to be my sole focus. At least I can say I’ve had three runs down Lillehammer at 100km an hour on a tea tray.” After detailing his trio of long jump aims, with two world golds and another Olympic title, Rutherford thinks even more outrageously. “If I could do that it would be the perfect end to my athletics career. But to then become the first Briton to win summer and winter Olympics? Maybe after Rio next year I might give the skeleton a go again. To become a double summer and a winter Olympic champion would be some story …” Rutherford looks amazed before he chuckles again.

“Of course, if it happens, someone on Twitter will say: ‘Greg Rutherford? What a lucky knob.’”

Question: For which event did Greg Rutherford win gold for GB in 2012?
Answer: Long jump